Mark Carruthers: The unsung volunteers keeping Non-League alive through wind and rain

I can’t have been the only one that has noticed a change in the temperature over the last ten days as the last knockings of summer departed and autumn settled in.

As we all know, the autumn and winter months can be difficult for Non-League clubs around the country, and we got an early warning sign last weekend when Storm Amy was an unwelcome arrival last weekend.

Echoes of past storms and multiple postponements that wiped out week-after-week of fixtures came to mind as I ventured to a Friday night fixture between Northern League Division One rivals Newcastle Blue Star and Horden Community Welfare.

Now, I can’t have been the only one expected to arrive at Blue Star’s KD Stadium to be told the fixture had fallen foul of the strong winds and heavy rainfall that had hit the North East and beyond for large parts of the previous 24 hours.

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Business as usual

Yet there seemed little reason to postpone the fixture when I arrived, and it was very much business as usual as the two sides made their way out onto a pitch that seemed almost pristine, despite the battering it had taken in the hours before the game.

Somehow, with the wind howling and rain increasingly driving across the pitch, the two sides produced an intriguing contest and eventually shared the points with a 1-1 draw that left neither manager entirely happy with what they had witnessed from their players.

However, as I prepared to conduct my usual post-match video assessment of what I witnessed, I felt it was more fitting to salute the unwavering loyalty and work ethic shown by volunteers to ensure the fixture not only went ahead – but went ahead in a recognisable fashion away from the pitch.

As mentioned, the grounds staff at Blue Star had worked hard on the surface and ensured it was in a playable condition.

Fortunate

Off the pitch, half-time draw tickets were sold, pints were pulled in the clubhouse, bins were being emptied, the club shop was manned and the clean-up operation began as soon as the full-time whistle was blown.

It made me consider just how invaluable volunteers are to our Non-League clubs and how they provide the solid foundations upon which growth can be built.

Without them, we would have no clubs, or if we did, they would be unrecognisable from what we can consider ourselves fortunate to have.

From the tea lady to the kitman, the bar staff to the media teams and from those manning the turnstiles to those sweeping up post-match, all are as essential as each other and all should continue to have our complete appreciation.

Their work may go unnoticed, and they may well toil away with unseen hours of graft, but they remain as essential as those representing our clubs on the pitch and the management teams that guide them.

The winter months, as always, will be significant challenges as the weather conditions will threaten fixtures, and that is when the volunteers will come to the fore even more than usual.

Their work is appreciated, no matter what the weather may be.

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